South of the North

15 years have past since the conflict in Kosovo in 1998-1999 and for many families the wounds only deepen with time; for many are not able to find closure until they have found evidence of their loved ones. Even just one finger bone can help them move forward and accept the unjust and abrupt end of a life that was taken from them. Anything would be better than the purgatory of waiting and hoping that one day they will walk through the front door and flash that familiar smile or give a warm embrace. On 5 April 1999, Serb soldiers entered the village of Rezalle separating the men and boys from the women; the men and boys were later killed, 37 of who have been missing since the event. In December 2013, a gravesite in Rudnica, Raska, Southern Serbia, was located in an old quarry, after years of searching. The site was discovered thanks to the joint efforts of various institutions including the International Committee of the Red Cross and the analysis of satellite images from the period of March – June 1999. Fifty-two sets of human remains and a number of body parts belonging to those who went missing during the conflict were exhumed between December and June 2014. Many of those identified were part of the missing from the events in Rezalle Village. While family members have tried to move on in the years following the conflict, the potential that their loved one’s remains might finally be found, reveals fresh and painful wounds.